“Evening, Miss Naya!”
Naya eyed her maid’s unusually cheery tone with a look of suspicion. “What are you so smiley about?” she asked her.
"Nothing," Rosa replied quickly. “How was your day?”
“Awful,” Naya grumbled miserably as Rosa took her jacket. “First, Professor Gordon made me leave class because apparently I wasn’t ‘paying attention’ which is totally not true by the way - I was just super tired - then the driver shows up late to pick me up - again - so I fired him and then realised I had no ride home which meant that I had to walk. And then just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse I found out that the Harry Winston necklace I wanted to put on hold for Lola’s birthday got sold this morning!”
“Oh dear, what a shame...” Rosa said absent-mindedly. For some reason she was still smiling.
Naya folded her arms, a stern expression playing across her face. “Okay, Rosa, spit it out. What’s going on?”
Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Rosa suddenly burst out into a girlish giggle before answering. “Miss Naya, your parents have some wonderful news for you!”
Naya's face fell. She didn't like the sound of that. In the past when her parents had 'wonderful news,' it usually meant that they had some awful bomb they wanted to drop on her. Before she could be worried, Rosa hurriedly ushered her out into the back yard where her parents Walter and Cecile were sitting under a canopy for their regular afternoon tea.
“Ah, Naya, my darling!” her mother smiled as Naya approached them both. “Did you have a good day at school?”
“Well-”
As usual her mother didn't really seem like she cared. “Please, have a seat," she interrupted her.
Naya gave her a look before silently obeying. She took the seat opposite her father who smiled at her fondly as she passed him.
For a while no-one spoke. The only sounds that could be heard was the gentle chirping of birds and the low murmurs coming from the staff as they went about their evening chores.
Finally, Naya’s father decided to speak. “Naya, sweetheart...” he began, “I’m not going to beat around the bush with you. Tonight your mother and I are hosting a dinner-party for the Anderson’s.”
Naya raised a brow in confusion. “But why, I thought we hated the Anderson’s? I mean, Grandpa practically spits every time someone mentions their name.”
“Yes, but it appears that he has had a change of heart,” her father explained. “You see, your grandfather feels that the time has come for the du Maurier and Anderson family to put aside all that’s happened in the past and unite with one another. He is, of course, not alone in this decision. The Anderson’s have also expressed their desire to start over.”
“Okay...” Naya furrowed her brows in confusion. She’d watched her father’s body language carefully as he spoke and noticed that he kept looking over at Naya’s mother, or down at his hands. It was like he was avoiding Naya’s gaze. “...that’s good to hear, I guess,” she said, not entirely sure what to make of all this.
Her mother smiled. “Your father and I had hoped you would say that,” she placed an affectionate hand on Naya’s. “You, of course, have a major part in ensuring that this new unity between our two families lasts.”
Naya suddenly felt very very nervous for herself. “What do you mean, mother?” she asked.
Her parents swapped glances with one another before her father finally cleared his throat to respond.
“It is the wish of your grandfather - and your mother and I,” he quickly added, “that you...”
“That I what?” Naya swallowed hard, her gaze switching from her mother to her father and then back to her mother again.
“...that you marry Mr and Mrs Anderson’s eldest son, Julian.”
In an instant, Naya’s nerves turned into pure outrage.
“WHAT?” she snapped, startling a member of staff who was pouring her some hot tea. “NO!”
“Naya, sweetheart...” her mother said soothingly. “We've heard that Julian is a lovely boy-”
“I don’t care, mother!” Naya interrupted, absolutely horrified. “I can’t marry him! I don't love him, I don't even know him, he's a complete stranger!”
“Sweetheart, tonight’s dinner-party will be a perfect opportunity for you to get to know him,” Naya’s father said calmly, “and as for love...it will come eventually.”
Naya looked incredulous. “Father, please, you can’t be serious!”
“The matter has already been settled, Naya,” her father’s voice was now stern and so was the look in his eyes. “I shall have Rosa send a dress for you to wear tonight. You will make your entrance at exactly 9pm, after which you will be formally introduced to the-”
Naya didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. She angrily got to her feet and stormed back inside the house running straight for her bedroom, her caramel brown eyes streaming with tears of pure disbelief and confusion.
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